-As of 1.4, DragonFly uses the NetBSD Packages Collection pkgsrc (http://www.pkgsrc.org) for third-party applications. pkgsrc is a packaging system much like FreeBSD ports, and there are many pre-built packages available. For a quick guide see the pkgsrc HOWTO. Eventually, DragonFly will have a homegrown port system, using the VFS mechanisms that are as of this writing not complete yet. For more information, check the specifications for the ideal package management system (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/goals/packages.shtml).

-

-

-

-# What architectures does DragonFly support?

-

-

-

-DragonFly is currently targeted at the x86 line of processors; it should work on 386 and up, though a 386 is certainly not recommended. Work is also being done on support for the new 64-bit processors from AMD. There are currently no plans for support of other processor types. However, support for Sparc or PowerPC or other systems is possible in the future. If you plan to submit code to the DragonFly project, please keep this in mind.

-

-

-

-# How can I contribute?

-

-

-

-Pick a topic that you enjoy and start working. Check the team page (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/team.shtml) to see if there are others interested in your topic, or ask around in the appropriate forum (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/main/forums.shtml). You can download the source (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/main/download.shtml) to the operating system and to the official site, and send patches in unified diff format (diff -uN) to 'submit at dragonflybsd.org' for review. Subscribe to that same submit mailing list/newsgroup (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/main/forums.shtml) to see feedback on your patches, and to find if they have been accepted or rejected. In addition, you can update the DragonFly Wiki.

-

-

-

-Note that you do not have to be a programmer in order to help. Evangelizing DragonFly and testing it on a variety of hardware, and reporting results can help a great deal. Try new features and report to the forums on your experiences. Cleaning up /etc/rc.d only requires shell script experience, for instance, and there's always a need for better documentation.

-

-

-

-# Will DragonFly use a dynamic /dev filesystem, as in devfs?

-

-

-

-Current plans are to keep the existing filesystem model, with the removal of minor/major numbering. There may be a 'devd' process to handle dynamic devices. There are other features to complete first before this is tackled.

-

-

-

-# What is the state of journaling fs / background fsck? We cannot wait...

-

-

-

-Matt is working on journaling, but you may want to read this post: http://leaf.dragonflybsd.org/mailarchive/kernel/2004-12/msg00133.html

-

-

-

-Or just go through the whole topic: http://leaf.dragonflybsd.org/mailarchive/kernel/2004-12/msg00105.html

-

-

-

-# Will DragonFly use (insert name here) technology?

-

-

-

-Yes and no. Features must match the existing plan outlined on the site here, and there's plenty of existing problems to solve before 'nonessential' work can be done. However, if you are willing to work on it, it probably can be done. The forums are an excellent place to get feedback and to find others that may be interested in your topic. The team page (http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/team.shtml) is also a good place to check.

-

-

-

-# What's the correct way to name this operating system?

-

-

-

-It's a BSD variant, called DragonFly. Note the capitalization on the F, which isn't proper English.

-

-

-

-# Should ldconfig_path be updated in /etc/defaults/rc.conf to include support for pkgsrc?

-

-

-

-No. pkgsrc links everything with -rpath so all binaries should carry the correct paths already. If it breaks it's broken.